National Geographic Photo Contest

<p>They're charging $15 per submission (of one photo).<br>

Any contest or 'job' that makes you pay to enter seems to me...well...wrong.<br>

Comments?</p>

<p>Read the Terms and Conditions as well, last time I checked them for one of their competitions you were handing over all intellectual property rights in perpetuity, including derivative works etc etc</p>

 

<p>I think it's reasonable considering:</p>

<ol>

<li>It's National Geographics; and</li>

<li>Winners will receive large cash prizes; and</li>

<li>Large (cash) grand prize; and</li>

<li>Cost of administration; and</li>

<li>A real opportunity to make a name for yourself. </li>

</ol>

<p>Compared to so many bogus "contests" on-line, this one shines.</p>

<p>Well, if you can and want to say that you are a photographer published in a National Geoghraphic publication ... even if you don't actually win the big prize/s, but have your image displayed somewhere under the NG 'banner'...</p>

<p>They are only being given rights to the photo in connection with NG contests.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>By entering the Contest, all entrants grant an irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide non-exclusive license to Authorized Parties, to reproduce, distribute, display and create derivative works of the entries (along with a name credit) in connection with the Contest and promotion of the Contest,...</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Gee; you basically giving them a photo; and paying them too.</p>

<p>Wedding shooters could adapt this business model too; you shoot images for couple; and then hand them cash too.</p>

<p>Plumbers could parachute into your backyard like the Man From Glad or The Unit; and fix a clogged toilet; then give you a thousand bucks!</p>

<p>This model goes against my 1st grade lemonaid stand; sounds like some socialistic adventure dreamed up by the current administation to go broke.</p>

<p>This seems like a weird variation of the 60 year old photo contest free image harvesting; where they charge you to enter too.</p>

<p>

<p>Many contest or competitions require an entry fee. It helps pay the cost to run/host said competition. Also, it helps ensure only serious entries.</p>

</p>

<p>Jason</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Gee; you basically giving them a photo; and paying them too.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>No, only in connection with the contest.</p>

 

<p>It means 20 years from now NG can use the contest image you paid them to own; and use the image to hawk their magazine in renewal mailed fliers; and all you get is your name in microtype saying it was in a contest.</p>

<p>Common sense is what is learned on the street. Lay folks can always give away images; ie that is why they are called amateurs; and starving artists; ie no business sense.</p>

<p>That fine print means some folks will be eating beans or dog food when old and ponder why they paid others to own images one once owned.</p>

 

<p>It's less than Taylor-Wessing photographic portraiture</p>

<p>In case you haven't dipped into the NG site recently, here is a reminder and a link ~: <a href="http://photography.nationalgeographic.co.uk/photography/?source=NavPhoHome">National Geographic - Photography.</a></p>

<p>Submitters have different reasons to enter such contests, and different reactions to the rules and fees. It pays to read the fine prints and decide for yourself *before* entering.</p>

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<p>If the photo editors at National Geographic want to look me up, my contact info is on my photo.net bio page. </p>

<p>I would pay $15 for the chance to be published under National Geographic. And trust me, money is extremely tight for me at the moment! I myself have looked into entering into NG, just haven't done it yet as I do not feel I have an image yet worthy of entry. Look at who you're entering, their rules, etc. and decide if it's worth the fee. All in all, I don't think $15 is really that much to ask. </p>

<p>If I were going to pay 15 bucks to enter a contest, it would be a lottery where the prize is serious cash.</p>

<p>They get many thousands of images for pennies apiece. Like the Va Lottery "contest". http://www.valottery.com/promotion/wildlife/rules.asp#anchor1</p>

<p>Just like the CNN free news correspondents, why do it for a hobby then give it away?</p>

<p>F em. </p>

<blockquote>

<p>It means 20 years from now NG can use the contest image you paid them to own;</p>

</blockquote>

<p>You really think they are going to post about a contest twenty years after? Because that's the only usage option they have.</p>

<p>This reminds me and is exactly in fact the same a large hotel chain that had a "photo contest" of their hotels. You can spend many thousands in time and equipment and give it away if you like, or as in this case, pay somebody to take it. It's called "sucker".</p>

<p>I did give away not a photo but a location to a pro shooter once. I was at Jurgens in Tel Aviv when I was showing the owner a snap of Metsada I took (645, MLU, tripod, Mamiya). A pro that shoots tourists shots asked where I took it, it was her country and she had never seen that perspective, I gave it to her. She didn't even say thank you, bitch. That is the last time I'll give anything away, even if it's not that good, or if it is.</p>

<p>So here is the photo location I gave away. You can give your stuff away, or take the 15 bucks and print it, and hang it on your wall. Giving for profits free things really pisses me off.</p><div></div>

<p>Writers also have these 'contests'. In the case of writing you might excuse it by saying that most literary magazines have, well, no budget at all, and are run out of love. But look at what happened to paid writing. Writers who used to be paid 1 to 2$/word (so I am told) are now offered a whopping 1 to 2 CENTS a word. I'm not sure about the higher price, I am sure about the lower one.<br>

Art and cognition are undervalued. Shouldn't give them away, at least you shouldn't pay someone to take them so that they can profit from them.</p>

 

<p>The main point is to read and understand the fine print with any contest.</p>

<p>If 20 years from now that image is used on the renewal NG advert; and it says Daria Inbar 2010 NG contest winner; did the NG fine print define this useage.?</p>

<p>Lets say they did not; now you want a lawyer</p>

<p>Lets say they DID! . Ok do you feel good about the free advertsing; or bad because you "never got paid"?</p>

<p>Photo.net is full of folks who "feel wronged" on either side of the fence.</p>

<p>They think they still own an image; or their portrait is on a subway bus from their wedding.</p>

<p>The devil is in the details of that fine print boilerplate in things we sign. Folks who assume often get upset when an image that went to another is not uses for some application they did not think of.</p>

<p>Back about 1990 Agfa had this photo contest in New Zealand. You had to shoot with either Agfa slides; or Agfa C41 and printed on Agfa paper. Any images you submitted became theirs. A friend there spent a mess of time an money on that silly contest; we found only one place on the North Island that had a Agfa C41 line.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>If 20 years from now that image is used on the renewal NG advert; and it says Daria Inbar 2010 NG contest winner; did the NG fine print define this useage.?</p>

</blockquote>

<p><br />That's not allowed by the usage agreement.</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>Back about 1990 Agfa had this photo contest in New Zealand. You had to shoot with either Agfa slides; or Agfa C41 and printed on Agfa paper. Any images you submitted became theirs. A friend there spent a mess of time an money on that silly contest; we found only one place on the North Island that had a Agfa C41 line.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Massively irrelevant.</p>

Every serious photo competition I've seen charges an entry fee. If you have any interest in pursuing

editorial photography, a photo you really believe would fare well against the competition, and can spare

$15 – I say you'd be a fool not to go for it.

 

Having a credit like that could be a career maker, or at least lend one a serious shot in the arm. And come

on, it's National Geographic. I'm going to go out on a limb and say the National Geographic Society isn't

trying to pull a fast one here.

<blockquote>

<p>This model goes against my 1st grade lemonaid stand; sounds like some socialistic adventure dreamed up by the current administation to go broke.</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>Must we have the political crap? Last I saw, someone got a thread closed by mentioning 'tea-baggers'. Y'know, I had to pay $40 to enter a juried show--got in, made ten times the entry fee. Image wound up published as well. I'd risk the fifteen bucks--I risked a lot more when I went into (non-photo) business for myself.</p>

 

<p>Les;<br>

Leave out your political agenda. Be civil and start another thread is profit and losses in running a 1st grade lemonaid stand bothers you so.<br>

Paying folks to accept an image is lunacy from a business standpoint; but then few on photo.net seem to run a business; thus understanding the way money flows is poor with many here.</p>

<p>Reading the rules and understanding the fine print to the nth degree should be down with any contest .</p>

<p> Folks are free to join contests that are free; 10 bucks; 100 bucks; 1000 bucks .Few folks win; thus it is about all lossy.<br>

Great photo contests from decades ago had zero entrance fee; all one had to do was have a SASE to get ones print/slide/negative returned.<br>

Thus the new fangled requirement of paying to enter does sound like a boondoggle to go broke. NG did not do this in its heyday; here my subscription goes back to 1947.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Kelly,</p>

<p>You brought up politics. You also are the one who is now causing the thread to be closed. Find another sandbox.</p>